how long do you need to feed frys?

[giantlumberjack]

I'm new and im not sure if its ok to ask questions but i cant seem to find the answer to this anywhere.I got a possible swordtail hybrid fry you see and i want to make sure i'm really taking care of him/her well. 

I've seen people that say you need to feed them 3 times a day and all that but for how long? How long does it take for them to become like adults and only need once or twice a day feedings?

How often do you do a water change for frys? And is it ok to keep a swordtail fry in a 5 gallon tank?

[Tacocat]

The more feedings a day is better, you can get by with 1 or 2 but they will just grow slower. I had my swordtails finally start giving me fry like 3 months ago and the fry are finally the size you would buy them at the store. The five gallon tank should be fine, it all depends on the amount of fry you have in the tank, test the nitrates after a week and as long as they are below 50 ppm you are in the clear, if anything it would be more important to have an air stone in the tank and if there are a lot of fry then a small sponge filter as well. As long as there are no fish in you tank significantly bigger than the parents I would put the fry back in with the parents when they are about an inch in size. Male swordtails can get aggressive towards each other and this way if any of the fry are males then they will suppress their sexual maturity.   

[RovingGinger]

If you only have one fry I would probably house it with some small shrimp or something that will eat the same food relatively quickly. I can’t imagine feeding only one without creating a large happy hydra colony. 

[giantlumberjack]

15 hours ago, Tacocat said:

The more feedings a day is better, you can get by with 1 or 2 but they will just grow slower. I had my swordtails finally start giving me fry like 3 months ago and the fry are finally the size you would buy them at the store. The five gallon tank should be fine, it all depends on the amount of fry you have in the tank, test the nitrates after a week and as long as they are below 50 ppm you are in the clear, if anything it would be more important to have an air stone in the tank and if there are a lot of fry then a small sponge filter as well. As long as there are no fish in you tank significantly bigger than the parents I would put the fry back in with the parents when they are about an inch in size. Male swordtails can get aggressive towards each other and this way if any of the fry are males then they will suppress their sexual maturity.   

(Sorry for the late reply wanted to make sure i was well awake to respond to these.)

I only have one fry, he/she came from a huge 30/40 gallon tank full of fish. I'm guessing it must of been the strongest and smartest to survive that.

Amonia seems to be at 2.0 or 4.0

Nitrate seems to be at 40 or 80

nitrite seems ok 0 or .5

hard is at 75, soft

alkalinity is at 80 or 120

PH is at 6.8 or 7.2

Going to do a water change now. Never had a water stone should i get one for fry/hospital tanks?

15 hours ago, RovingGinger said:

If you only have one fry I would probably house it with some small shrimp or something that will eat the same food relatively quickly. I can’t imagine feeding only one without creating a large happy hydra colony. 

I've never had shrimps, they seem to be hard to take care of (From what i've read they seem to be really sensative,that being said i do have snails.). Can they go well with guppies and swordtails/platys? This tank is a hospital one is it really a good idea to put shrimps in it?

[giantlumberjack]

(PS sorry if my english is bad, im not using my good computer and its also not my first language.""Its not an excuse but ya know"")

[Brandy]

55 minutes ago, giantlumberjack said:

(Sorry for the late reply wanted to make sure i was well awake to respond to these.)

I only have one fry, he/she came from a huge 30/40 gallon tank full of fish. I'm guessing it must of been the strongest and smartest to survive that.

Amonia seems to be at 2.0 or 4.0

Nitrate seems to be at 40 or 80

nitrite seems ok 0 or .5

hard is at 75, soft

alkalinity is at 80 or 120

PH is at 6.8 or 7.2

Going to do a water change now. Never had a water stone should i get one for fry/hospital tanks?

I've never had shrimps, they seem to be hard to take care of (From what i've read they seem to be really sensative,that being said i do have snails.). Can they go well with guppies and swordtails/platys? This tank is a hospital one is it really a good idea to put shrimps in it?

That ammonia is really high. I would water change a fairly large amount, and then add plants or an ammonia binding water conditioner like Seachem Prime depending on what you have available. If you have neither plants or Prime, just change water more often, it will work. Feeding a lot will cause the ammonia to go up like that. 

If you have just a single fry, you could contain it in a breeder box or some smaller container that you can float in the larger tank so that you can feed a bit less--not because the food costs much, but because it will pollute the water. You want to put the small bits of food right in front of him/her if you can, so he/she can find it easily. That is easier in a confined space. 

I would not advise shrimp in a hospital tank. Shrimp are great if you are raising a lot of fry, but not if you need to medicate fish because they are sensitive to a lot of the strongest medications. However, Neocaridina davidi are pretty easy to care for, they reproduce easily and are pretty hardy, should be compatible with guppies, swordtails, and platys if given cover.

[giantlumberjack]

2 hours ago, Brandy said:

That ammonia is really high. I would water change a fairly large amount, and then add plants or an ammonia binding water conditioner like Seachem Prime depending on what you have available. If you have neither plants or Prime, just change water more often, it will work. Feeding a lot will cause the ammonia to go up like that. 

If you have just a single fry, you could contain it in a breeder box or some smaller container that you can float in the larger tank so that you can feed a bit less--not because the food costs much, but because it will pollute the water. You want to put the small bits of food right in front of him/her if you can, so he/she can find it easily. That is easier in a confined space. 

I would not advise shrimp in a hospital tank. Shrimp are great if you are raising a lot of fry, but not if you need to medicate fish because they are sensitive to a lot of the strongest medications. However, Neocaridina davidi are pretty easy to care for, they reproduce easily and are pretty hardy, should be compatible with guppies, swordtails, and platys if given cover.

Alright I think i will do that, though how long should i keep it in the box? I dont want to hurt its growth. Will shrimps reproduce out of control like snails can or are they more ""controlable""?

[Brandy]

I think shrimp babies are pretty tasty treats for some adult fish, so if you have less cover you will have less shrimp. If you don't feed them on purpose but just let them scavenge leftovers. Additionally, I think more people around here WANT shrimps, so while getting rid of extra snails might be a problem, offering stores or friends shrimp is likely to be easier.

Also I would only keep it in the box until it is big enough to go back in the adult tank. I am not a sword tail breeder, but I imagine with good food that wont be very long. A month maybe? I am guessing someone with sword tails will know more. 

Edited August 12, 2020 by Brandy

[giantlumberjack]

1 hour ago, Brandy said:

I think shrimp babies are pretty tasty treats for some adult fish, so if you have less cover you will have less shrimp. If you don't feed them on purpose but just let them scavenge leftovers. Additionally, I think more people around here WANT shrimps, so while getting rid of extra snails might be a problem, offering stores or friends shrimp is likely to be easier.

Also I would only keep it in the box until it is big enough to go back in the adult tank. I am not a sword tail breeder, but I imagine with good food that wont be very long. A month maybe? I am guessing someone with sword tails will know more. 

Alright thank your for the help I truly appreciate it.Will see if i can get my hands on some shrimps and good plant for frys and said shrimps. Kind of hard to get some stuff here in canada right now though. (Ps do you need to quarantine shrimps? Since they dont take meds well do people usually just drop them in the aquariums?)

[Brandy]

Shrimps have their own set of parasites that only affect them. I would say a good careful inspection would probably do as well.